According to Reuters, the epicentre of the quake was 57 kms (35 miles) deep and struck 29 kms west of Imphal. It snapped power supply to the city and sent people running out of their homes in the wee hours of the morning.

The quake occurred at 4.35 am.

Police in Imphal, capital of Manipur, said people were killed as walls, staircases and roofs in some buildings collapsed.

An official at Myanmar's Meteorological Department in Naypyidaw said there were no reports of damage or casualties on the Myanmar side of the border.

In April and May 2015, two earthquakes struck Nepal, killing more than 8,000 people; and in October, an earthquake hit a remote area in Afghanistan, killing over 200 people and sent shockwaves as far as New Delhi.